Propane, tar ignite elementary school's roof

By
Brian Dzenis, The Trentonian

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

TRENTON — Fire officials say students at Monument Elementary School will be able to return to class in the fall, but they may not be able to use the gym. The roof the school’s gym suffered heavy damage following a propane and tar-fueled fire on Monday.

Jottan Roofing had been performing tarring work on the gym’s roof that morning and most of the workers had ended their shifts early due to the hot weather. Four propane tanks were chained together on the roof near where the tar had been applied. One of the canisters was full, while the others were empty. Due to the heat, pressure built up in the full canister. There’s a relief valve on the tank that is supposed to relieve said pressure as it builds up.

“All of the valves were working properly, but when those tanks release pressure, they move,” Battalion Chief Ron Kostzyu said. “Because the tanks were chained together, they must have ‘clanked’ together.”

“That may have caused the spark that ignited the tar and propane,” he added.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 1:21 p.m. to find heavy fire showing from the roof and smoke that could be seen from miles away. The TFD’s Rescue 1 noticed the smoke while returning from a call on Bellevue Avenue, Kostzyu said. Residents on the 100 block of Pennington Avenue noticed the fire and heard explosions coming from the roof, but said they could not connect to a dispatcher when dialing 911.

“I couldn’t get through and I didn’t even get a call back,” Mark Davis, who was inside Mason’s barbershop, said. “It’s a shame, that’s our elementary school.”

John Dyous and his wife, Kim Dyous, were on the porch of their home and also said they could not get through to a 911 dispatcher, but noticed a man wearing a Jottan shirt who appeared sleeping in his vehicle, John Dyous said.

“I woke him up and that’s when he got out of the car and started talking on his phone,” John Dyous said.

“You know how when you wake up, you can be kind of tired and slow? This guy was running around like a cheetah,” Davis said of the employee.

Both Davis and the Dyous’ independently pointed out the allegedly sleeping employee. As of press time, The Trentonian was unable to reach representatives at Jottan Roofing for comment. Both fire and school district officials were unable to confirm Davis and Dyous’ claims.

Both the patrons of Mason’s and the Dyous’ claim issues with reaching 911 dispatchers caused a delay in firefighters reaching the fire. According to Kostzyu, the department did receive 911 calls and word from emergency dispatchers about the fire. According to school district officials, Jottan Roofing had a designated “fire-watcher” who is supposed to stay at the work site during non-work hours.

Monument Elementary’s roof is made of concrete, which was key in preventing fire from spreading elsewhere in the school, fire officials said. The interior of the gym suffered extensive water damage as firefighters battled the blaze.

“The electrical lights are flooded and there’s two to three inches of standing water on the gym floor,” Dwayne Mosley, the district’s director of facilities, said. “Some of that water has receded into the hallways, but no classrooms were affected.”

Trenton Police, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Fire Marshal is investigating the fire. The school district is also making its own inquiries into the fire. No injuries or issues with heat exhaustion were reported while firefighters fought the fire at the school where the fire unions donated a playground in September 2012.

“TEMs and S.S. 22 were there to assist us and we sent guys out in shifts,” Kostzyu said. “Considering the conditions, I thought they did a good job.”